Although the dystopian thought has been present in the literary tradition of the Western civilization for over two thousand years, not until the second half of the nineteenth century did the dystopian literature become recognized as a significant cultural force. The horrors brought about by the developments of the first half of the twentieth century have additionally reinforced the dystopian perspective on the humankind’s potential and have led to the recognition of the dystopian literature as a separate literary genre. The authors of the dystopian fiction challenge the optimism contained in the utopian thought and critically examine the political and social practices of the real-world societies, undertaking thus the role of social critics. In A Clockwork Orange and The Wanting Seed, Anthony Burgess focuses on the shortcomings of the present-day society, in order to investigate the nature of the relationship between the individual and the society. Insights into this subject matter provided by some of the most influential social critics of the modern times, such as F. Nietzsche, S. Freud, and M. Foucault, only reinforce Burgess’ own findings: the society is fundamentally hostile to the individual, since it will resort to any means necessary in order to ensure a predictable and controlled functioning of the societal life. In order to ensure that the citizens will make only those choices that coincide with the common good, the society employs mechanisms of mind manipulation intended to deprive the citizens of their free will. In this collision between the individual and the society, Burgess stands in defence of the individual.

Granter

Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of OsijekFaculty of Humanities and Social Sciences